Influence of curing regimes on compressive strength of ultra high performance concrete

The present paper is aimed to identify an efficient curing regime for ultra high performance concrete (UHPC), to achieve a target compressive strength more than 150 MPa, using indigenous materials. The thermal regime plays a vital role due to the limited fineness of ingredients and low water/binder ratio. By activation of the reaction kinetics, the effectiveness of the binder is enhanced which leads to improvements in mechanical as well as durability properties. The curing cycle employed are ambient air curing, water curing and hot air curing. The specimens were exposed to thermal regime at (90°C/150°C/200°C) for duration of 24, 48 or 72 hours at the age of 3rd and 7th day followed with air curing or water curing till 28 days. The results showed a marked difference in compressive strength ranging from 217 to 142 MPa with change in curing regimes. The samples when thermally cured at the age of 3rd and 7th day produced an average ultimate strength of 217–152 MPa and 196–150 MPa, respectively.